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Are we a maturing movement?

December 12, 2008 By Bruce Reyes-Chow 13 Comments

Greetings all!

I trust folks are doing well.  As you know I have not posted anything on this blog in a while.  I did this not to distance myself from presbymergent as you are all individually wonderful folks, but only to help remove as many stumbling blocks as possible for folks trying to get to know me as me.  In any case, over the past months or so, a few questions have risen to the forefront and have included some folks from this community that I think are worthy of some attention, so I figured I would ask here.

The most pressing question for me right now in all of this was prompted by Phyllis Tickle at The Great Emergence Event in Memphis this past week where she challenged those engaged in the emergent conversation over the past 10 years to mature and think about what this REALLY looks like in the next stages of life.  She challenged those within the mainline churches to play our role in this transition and for those outside of mainline traditions to listen and interact.  So what do we say: what does this whole think look like as a structure, institution, etc.?  Is that even the right question and if not, what is?

My challenge is this, much like Beau Weston in his paper, Rebuilding the Presbyterian Establishment has asked some good questions, albeit with controversial conclusions, what will this community offer to the open source nature of the future beyond a critique of the current culture and structure of the church, no matter how good it may or may not be?  I certainly have some ideas that I will talk about as appropriate, but if there is any real movement in the church that is worth it’s salt, how does it mature into being an effective agent of change and transformation beyond those who are part of the movement?

Said gauntlet has been thrown, where and when will this plane land?  You tell me and us.

Now, I in no way to post this as any kind of mandate as moderator – how stupid would I have to be to think anyone, here or anywhere else would respond - but as one who sits in some great places of conversation about the future of the church.  Your voices are just as important as the voices from those of differing worldviews, so by engaging in this, you add your words to the narrative that we are discovering together – yeah, kind cheesy, but true - for we can never forfeit the voice, authority and power that each of us has been given to our care.

I see this as more of a challenge, nudging and yearning for the entirety of the church to enter into the many interactions that are happening in countless places in the church so that together we may find a way forward that aligns with God’s intentions for us all.

If you do decide to write something, please send me the link and/or watch out for a blog posting that will lift up some of these ideas as you can just send a trackback there.

Peace out, as the kewl kids say . . . or do they not say that any more ;-(

PS: Anyone planning on organizing some planned presbymergent spontaneity at THE BIG TENT in June in Atlanta?

PPS: I am ripping off Bloggers Unite and going to try doing a Presbyterians Connect monthly blogging challenge, so stay tuned and watch for the announcement at The Mod Blog.

Filed Under: PC(USA), Presbymergent Tagged With: Beau Weston, Bruce Reyes-Chow, Great Emergence, moderator, Transformation

Characteristics of a postmodern pastor

October 2, 2007 By Bruce Reyes-Chow 12 Comments

Yes . . . I KNOW, one cannot define the attributes of things “postmodern,” one can only describe them. Still, if churches and communities are going to explore new ways of raising and nurturing leadership, shouldn’t there be some idea of what makes a good pastor or spiritual leader in the postmodern context?

Here is a stab at what I think are a few valuable characteristics for those who lead, influence, sojourn along side of or even pastor that group of people that are known as postmodern, emerging, 21st Century, don’t-put-me-in-a-box-what box?-there-is-no-box! followers of Christ.

An effective pastor of the postmodern persuasion might want to think about embracing the following realities of what to DO and how to BE in ministry.

Take everyone seriously // I think we must start with the assumption they everyone comes to a place of discernment from a place of deep faith. This does not mean we agree or even accept everything that one thinks, but we at least begin with a posture of trust rather than suspicion. Yes, we may later factor in issues of mental health, personal interaction, kookiness, etc, but even those who have “issues” need to be heard . . . I know I do.

Thrive in the gray // I think that one of the core reasons there is such a disconnect between so many entities in the world and church is this idea that the purpose of faith is to conquer ambiguity. Some put all their energy into creating what I think is an unattainable and ultimately empty pursuit: to remove all struggle from life. Another option is to see faith as something that helps us to navigate well, find peace and even thrive in the midst of the ambiguous, gray, chaotic ways of the world.

Embody Appreciation over Acceptance // One of the digs on the Postmodern church is that we just willy-nilly accept any and every thing that comes our way. Some do. This is a mistake. While always leaving room to change it is essential to maintain a clear understanding of one’s core beliefs, essentials, etc. Hearing the point of view of others should be appreciated always, but stop short of acceptance without some measure of discernment. I think that one of the worst things a Postmodern pastor can do is to see the postmodern search for truth as a mandate to give up ones personal understanding of truth. To go to such lengths as to give up one’s truth takes one out of the conversation that a body must continue to have as it moves towards understanding corporate truths. Hold strong to what one believes while being able to maintain an appreciation for the other is essential.

Love Jesus // Cynicism is the disease of our day. I am not talking about being diligent or even discerning, but outright cynical about the world. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is about hope, new life and all things that are beyond humanities imagination. Leadership must embrace and nurture this reality and relationship as it manifests itself both individually and communally.

And some bonus characteristics for we mainline emergents

Embrace the past and unleash the future // For those steeped in tradition and are discovering the postmodern within, postmodernity is not about destroying and forgetting the past, but about a life that flows from and emerges from the past. So . . . this means we need to embrace where we have come from and how we have gotten here without getting to the point of worshiping tradition. For those who prefer a posture of “destroy the institution” I think that they will be hard pressed to move out of a place where they are defined solely by what they ARE NOT; whereas a healthy understanding of the past will better help us those in the future to be defied what they ARE.

Challenge the family // While the outsider’s voice is often the most helpful to spark change, for those of us in mainline settings, if we expect change and transformation, we must ourselves speak out as part of the family. Sure there may be a point where division is needed, but for the most part when we get frustrated with our family, we can either run away, stay and fight or try to find ways to engage in faithful discernment no matter how hard or stressful. Challenging words spoken with love and confidence that are built on relationships of respect can be more powerful than we might think.

Cross the aisles // Arrogance is bad. Mainliners, while I do believe we have some wonderful things to offer to the larger Christian conversation, we also believe that we hold THE truth is so many ways: leadership, theology, style, etc. We must get over ourselves and come to the realization that people will and do experience a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ in a variety of ways. We must reassert our place at the table in the many conversations that have deemed us obsolete simply because of our affiliations. We must also approach those conversations with a confident humility that allows our voices to be respected and heard.

So, there you have it, some early week musings. I desperately wanted to include “Be on Facebook, “Grow a Goatee” and “get trendy glasses” but I figured those where understood ;-)

Filed Under: Emergent, Leadership, PC(USA)

PresbyMERGENT or PresbyURGENT

August 2, 2007 By Bruce Reyes-Chow 9 Comments

Hey all. This is a revision to my orginal post, but figured it might drive some thoughts, rants, reactions over here.

This post is not meant to spark a debate on the future of denominations as I understand this is a bigger question. Nevertheless here we are hanging out as Presbymergents in the Presbyterian Church (USA). I understand that we have issues – why I should leave – but I have also landed in a place where I think this is what is most helpful for me - why I will stay – at this point in time.

So here is the story . . .

Last week I met up with some MBCC transplants now living in the Chapel Hill/Durham area. One of the things I wanted to do was to go to church on Sunday. I take my responsibility to help those who leave one congregation to find another one very seriously. So I did some research, posted something over here at Presbymergent and scoured the Presbytery website. While there were some fine suggestions, from the online faces, we couldn’t find one that fit these folks needs, hopes, etc. Yes, I understand that they SHOULD be willing to go anywhere to worship God, but lets be real. It needs to be a place where they can both be fed and do some feedin’. There must be SOME reason that they would muddle through some of the other “stuff” that exists in any congregation. More importantly a church for them needs to have a postmodern worldview that is not just talked about and hoped for, but lived out. Tired, two-faced images of “We welcome all people,” “We are bible-based” or “We are NOT that” ring hallow and modern.

One of the couples had done some church visiting – giving each place two Sunday’s in a row – but found most to be the opposite of what they would like to be part of a community that is vital, engaging, compelling and relevant to their lives. None have felt like they truly wanted folks to engage in conversations and being community in new ways.

This is just sad. I am sure this in not just a NC Triangle thing, but if I were a church shopper with a postmodern worldview, would I find your church? Or more importantly, should I find it?

Keep in mind that these are not people who are looking for a consumer based church. These were folks who are engaged in ministry while they were in SF and understand that they should not look for a MBCC clone. They could deal with any style, but what we could tell from our web search was that the image and message of most churches was: tradition for traditions sake, come here if you are wealthy, young and elite, we are pretty much the same as we were in the 50′s. These seem harsh, but that is what was experienced.

So this raises the question, “What should we do?”

Now I know many of you out there would say that this is a denominational issue. I don’t think that is true. I think it is an American culture stagnation issue manifested in churches. Being a denomination does not automatically mean we can’t be vital, engaging, compelling and relevant. In fact, I think our rich traditions can give us more grounding to be that than being out on an island. But that is just me.

So dear Presbyterians. We are in dire straights. We must think of ways to be and do church differently to be able to meet the needs of so many that are seriously looking. I know this is nothing new, but this experience and the great possibility that these particular folks are somewhat being left out to dry by me and this denomination, has given me a sense of urgency about the ways we not just live community, but get the word out.

If you are of a postmodern way of being, share it better. If this is not your crowd, help the presbytery to share who is. Look at the bigger picture of local area congregations and ask the tough questions of whether or not all these types and styles of church would be doing better ministry if they were together and/or starting other church communities.

Whether or not you “buy” that this worldview is already the air we breath, one must at least acknowledge that these types of folks are absent from most Presbyterian Church. We must, for lack of a better phrase, diversify our efforts. Our denominational nature DOES allow us to be all things to all people, so it’s time to cowboy/cowgirl up my friends and get to the sharing of Christ in beautiful complexity that God allows.

Filed Under: Churches, Leadership, Presbymergent

Church referral for NC

June 30, 2007 By Bruce Reyes-Chow 8 Comments

Hey all. MBCC has two families that have moved out to the NC Triangle and are looking for a community with whom that can take part. Any ideas, thoughts, etc.? Doesn’t have to be Presby, but certainly postmod and real. Multi-ethnic would also be plus. No moderns in postmodern drag need apply ;-)

Filed Under: Churches

Church Group Blogs

March 10, 2007 By Bruce Reyes-Chow 9 Comments

Last year we started a group blog for our church. Not that I didn’t think folks had it in ‘em, but the level of discourse and conversations has been truly life-giving for the church and I suspect for those on the blog team.

Unexpected joys . . .

  • Feedback and continued conversations around issues/thoughts raised during Sunday services;
  • Input and interaction between folks who may not otherwise participate;
  • Access point for some many who have a hard time connected in other ways: stay-at-home moms, introverts, etc.
  • Finding out how damn smart and thoughtful folks are;
  • Being reminded that I need not always lead, drive or instigate the conversations;

Has anyone else been doing this? Would love to see some other blogs our there in case we can “liberate” some design or content ideas. Blog on ya’ll!

Filed Under: Blogging, Leadership

Emergent Diversity

February 1, 2007 By Bruce Reyes-Chow 4 Comments

While you can see the full post on my Mainline Emergent/s Day 2, I thought I would toss out this section and see where it goes.

“The other thing worth reflecting on was the Workshop that I attended, “Emerging Issues in Theological and Cultural Diversity” lead by Jay Voorhees and Tim Hartman (deftly handled BTW). We did talk about a great many aspects of diversity: theological, ethnic, socioeconomic, etc., but I wanted to make an observation about the issue of Race/Ethnicity within the emergent movement. I realize this is a complex issue that is actually handled better in face-to-face conversations so I am only making a few observations and a suggestion.

My reflections come out of one thread of the conversation that took place during the workshop. We began talking about the “Modern” structural solution to issues of racism and sexism, the “boxes” or “baskets” that we so easily put people into to define their worth and usefulness to the system. While helpful to be intentional about righting injustice for a certain period of time, most felt like there must be a new/better/emergent way to address issues of racial/ethnic diversity in the church. I TOTALLY agree!

But . . . and isn’t there always a “but” —- my observation has been that the postmodern or emergent response to issues of diversity takes place in one general way. Because we take all contexts seriously, all types of diversity and how we approach them are given equal weight. Whether it be visible diversity of gender or race or more subtle diversity such as class, theological perspectives, etc. there is this sense that we should approach both types in the same way. This is where I think there needs to be some adjustment (not an overhaul, an adjustment). The response I have heard from some self-proclaimed emergents is more savvy than a “I am Color-Blind” posture, but more of a “I am not going to make assumptions about one’s context, because they are [blank].” On the outside, this makes sense, and maybe for diversity issues such as theological perspective or socio-economics this is the way to go. But, when it comes to race and gender, I think we are required to do more work than see the other as a blank slate, no matter how much value one places upon that slate. As an Asian-American and unapologetic postmodern, urban, presbyterian emergent – I do not want to be seen as a blank slate. I want to enter into a circumstance where “Cultural Compentancy” reigns as the norm; where we understand the context/story from where one comes without making the turn towards stereotyping and uninformed assumptions. For me, my experience as an Asian-American has required me to be culturally competent, if for no other reason that to gauge the relative emotional/physical safety of situations. When I walk into a room, I try to value the visual/audio/contextual cues I received so that I can engage more meaningful and appropriate interactions with others.

While this observation is subtle, I think it does have something to do with why there are not more visible Racial Ethnic emergents. The critical mass of the movement has yet to show to many Racial Ethnic folks that this is any more than one more growth strategy of the dominant church. And while this does seem a bit cynical this is a real perception. But – and now the good but – I think the overall approach and posture of the emergent movement has GREAT potential to change this perception. As an Asian-American, I have found great release and “exhaling” as I have found voice and vernacular for my own emergent self. I am in no way alone in this, there are many who need the same kind of opportunity and experience. The emergent movement just needs to find ways to actually live out a cultural competency that that will in turn develop into a Emerging Diversity. I have trust that given time and more conversations this will take place . . . it has to.”

Filed Under: Emergent, Events